Through the publication of Legal Notice 21 of 2026 on 23 January 2026, an amendment was introduced to the Registration and Licensing of Motor Vehicles Regulations (S.L. 368.02), allowing drivers of “red plate” vehicles to operate such vehicles on Fridays without time restrictions. This change removes the previous limitation whereby red-plate vehicles could only be used after 18:00 on Fridays.
Introduced as part of Malta’s 2015 Budget measures, the red-plate vehicle scheme was designed to regulate and limit the use of certain vehicles while offering financial incentives to owners. Administered by Transport Malta, the scheme allows eligible cars and motorcycles to be registered with red-character number plates, indicating that they may only be driven on weekends, public and national holidays, and, following earlier amendments, from Friday evenings onwards.
In return for these usage restrictions, owners benefit from significantly reduced registration tax and a 65% reduction in the annual circulation licence fee. Vehicles enrolled in the scheme must be garaged during restricted periods, be fully insured, and comply with strict conditions of use. Misuse of a red-plate vehicle outside the permitted timeframe carries heavy penalties, reflecting the scheme’s aim of balancing vehicle ownership flexibility with traffic management and environmental considerations.
The new measures have come into effect immediately and are intended to allow motorists who own such vehicles to use their “weekend-plate” vehicles on a weekday, easing practical burdens related to servicing, repairs, or transportation between locations during working hours, without the need to apply for a special permit or resort to towing. It should be noted, however, that while red-plate vehicles may now be driven on public roads on Fridays without time restrictions, the law still clearly provides that such vehicles may not be parked on public roads before 18:00 on Fridays, nor between Monday and Thursday.
